High-level US DOT meeting wraps up TRB week
ITF Secretary-General Young Tae Kim met with Derek Kan, US Under Secretary of Transportation for Policy, in Washington, D.C., on 17 January, marking the end of the Transportation Research Board (TRB) Annual Meeting week. Secretary-General Kim led a strong ITF presence at TRB and the World Bank/EMBARQ Transforming Transportation conference which saw ITF experts share insights on a global stage. The wide spectrum of transport issues covered ranged from ground-breaking innovations in infrastructure resilience to transport's role in making societies more inclusive.
The high-level meeting with Under Secretary Kan continues the strong, fruitful collaboration between ITF and the US Department of Transportation. The US is a founding member of the ITF and has been an associate member of ITF's precursor, the European Conference of Ministers of Transport (ECMT), since 1977. Most recently, Under Secretary Kan participated in the ITF Summit on Transport Safety and Security in Germany in May 2018, where he provided the US perspectives on a wide range of policy issues from the adoption of automation to strategic infrastructure funding.
The active participation of the US in ITF's Transport Management Board and Summit Task Force meetings contributes much to the success of the ITF. ITF's transport research benefits in manifold ways from and US input via the ITF Transport Research Committee and the broad collaboration with US research institutions. The US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), for instance, works with other partners to improve road safety policies as members of the ITF's IRTAD Group.
US companies are well represented in ITF's Corporate Partnership Board, the ITF’s platform for outreach to the private sector. They contribute cutting-edge insights on the rapidly changing transport sector, helping ITF to improve foresight on future policy challenges and understanding of the practical implications of policy interventions.
While in Washington, D.C., Young Tae Kim also held meetings Makthar Diop, World Bank's Vice President of Infrastructure, and with Neil Pedersen, TRB Executive Director.
Photo (l-r): Joel Szabat (Assistant Secretary for Aviation and International Affairs, US DOT), Derek Kan (Under Secretary of Transportation for Policy, US DOT), Young Tae Kim (ITF Secretary-General), Mary Crass (ITF Head of Institutional Relations and Summit)